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    In the Beginning . . .: Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis
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    In the Beginning . . .: Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis
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    In the Beginning . . .: Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis
    Ebook290 pages6 hours

    In the Beginning . . .: Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis

    By Isaac Asimov

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    About this ebook

    In the Beginning: Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis. The beginning of time. The origin of life. In our Western civilization, there are two influential accounts of beginnings. One is the biblical account, compiled more than two thousand years ago by Judean writers who based much of their thinking on the Babylonian astronomical lore of the day. The other is the account of modern science, which, in the last century, has slowly built up a coherent picture of how it all began. Both represent the best thinking of their times, and in this line-by-line annotation of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, Isaac Asimov carefully and evenhandedly compares the two accounts, pointing out where they are similar and where they are different.  “There is no version of primeval history, preceding the discoveries of modern science, that is as rational and as inspiriting as that of the Book of Genesis,” Asimov says. However, human knowledge does increase, and if the biblical writers “had written those early chapters of Genesis knowing what we know today, we can be certain that they would have written it completely differently.” Isaac Asimov brings to this fascinating subject his wide-ranging knowledge of science and history—and his award-winning ability to explain the complex with accuracy, clarity, and wit.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Media
    Release dateJun 10, 2014
    ISBN9781497622517
    Unavailable
    In the Beginning . . .: Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis
    Author

    Isaac Asimov

    To list Isaac Asimov's honors, as to list his books, would be excessive. Let it simply be noted that Isaac Asimov was the most famous, most honored, most widely read, and most beloved science fiction author of all time. In his five decades as an author, he wrote more than four hundred books, won every award his readers and colleagues could contrive to give him, and provided pleasure and insight to millions. He died in 1992, still at work.

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    • 3/5
      This is an extremely interesting read. Of course, Asimov as a scientist offers a rational explanation for the imagery in the book of Genesis. But in my experience, a mythic, literary, psychological, and scientific perspective can enrich and complement a more literalistic interpretation. Even people who firmly believe in young-earth creationism can benefit from these insights, if they are willing to accept a bit of cognitive dissonance along the way and cut the author some slack. As for me, I see no real conflict in looking at Scripture through various lenses. The Bible is a many-layered book.

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